JEWISH VALUES

Being learned has long been a desirable quality. In many traditions, the most esteemed members of a people are the keepers of knowledge.

Judaism, however, is a little different. Sure, we have great rabbis and learned leaders, but they are not the sole keepers of knowledge. Education (in Hebrew chinuch) is not an esoteric thing reserved for the academic or spiritual elite. There’s a reason we are known as the “people of the book”, because each and every one of us has the right – and the responsibility – to learn about our laws and heritage.

From cheder to yeshiva and youth movements to summer camps, education has always been at the heart of Jewish life. There are stories about teachers placing honey on the Hebrew letters to “sweeten” the deal and encourage children to learn them. A huge emphasis is put on the youth, because education is not only about memorising texts and laws. Chinuch influences Jewish identity, values, and morals. Learning about our past gives us a firm base from which to progress into the future.

In the daily Shema prayer, which we have been saying for millennia, we are commanded about the laws: “v’shinantam l’vanecha – and you shall teach them to your children”. Of course, not everyone had a father who was able to teach them. In response to this – and because the leaders of the Jews placed such a high value on education – schools were set up. The Talmud (Bava Batra 21a) delineates the details of an effective school system, including the starting age of six or seven years old, and the class size of 25 children, both of which have since been adopted universally.

Education is about understanding the world around us, and how we fit into that world. Therefore, it’s important to study both Torah and the ways of the world (secular education). “If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if no Torah, there is no flour” says Pirkei Avot (3:17). Try these ways of incorporating learning into your life every single day:

• Read. It’s one of the tried and tested ways to develop your education. Whether you study Daf Yomi (a global reading programme covering one page of Talmud a day) or devour novels that teach you about life in different eras and areas, books expand the mind to new ideas.

• Listen. Audiobooks and podcasts are also a great way to educate yourself on a wealth of topics, and the bonus is that you can multitask learning with driving, cooking, exercising, and other daily tasks.

• Follow the news. Keeping up with current events will give you a better understanding of the world around you, empowering you to make decisions for your life and your future.

• Upskill yourself. Sign up for extra training through your workplace, attend events to earn CPD points, or register for a course on something you’ve always wanted to learn on a platform like Coursera.org or Udemy.com.

• Sign up for mailing lists. Torah or gardening, parenting or finance – having new information delivered straight to your inbox is a simple way to keep educating yourself.

• Set aside time every day for education. Spend five minutes learning a new language on Duolingo, listen to a shiur while you commute, or watch a TED talk each evening.

• Share your knowledge. The best way to learn is to teach, so start a blog, open a club in your area of expertise, or mentor someone who could benefit from your skills. It’s particularly good to educate children, perpetuating the value of education by teaching the next generation.

• Support schools, educational organisations and trusts that focus on learning, so that they can continue to do the good work that they do.

• Facilitate the education of those around you. You don’t necessarily have to teach it yourself. You could host a shiur at your home or office, organise a conference or seminar for your work colleagues, or invite friends over to learn a new skill from an expert.

By regularly adding new avenues of learning, we are able to expand our minds and understanding of the world. Chinuch is a lifelong goal; we never stop learning, because there is always so much more to learn!